Posts filed under ‘Hypocrisy’

From DeeTee: Although I’m a life-long Democrat, the above heading was what began the letter I received from Congressman John Boehner (R-Ohio), along with a hate-mongering survey — “This official Census of America’s Republican Leadership was prepared specifically for you by the NRCC [National Republican Congressional Committee] in conjunction with the House Republican Conference in Washington, DC” — for me to fill out and return.

Initially I planned simply to shred it… but upon further contemplation, I decided to fill it out and return, since the Republicans obviously value my opinion. Below you will see some of the questions, quoted word for word, that I was asked to complete, along with some of my ‘answers’:

General Question #1: “Do you believe the Obama Administration and Nancy Pelosi’s soft-on-defense, reckless spending, higher taxes, and expansive Big Government policies are the right leadership for America?” [I believe that’s what them lawyer-types call a LEADING question.]

Choices for reply were Yes, No, or Undecided. I crossed out the leading words so that the question now read: “Do you believe the Obama Administration and Nancy Pelosi’s policies are the right leadership for America?”and answered Yes.

Another favorite, #3, asked me to check issues “Republicans should fight hardest for.” Choices included border security; traditional marriage; balanced budget; right to life; etc. Under “Other” I added: “Giving Obama a fair chance”; “Cooperating w/Dems, using common sense for the good of our country”; “getting rid of right-wing extremists”; etc. (I’m so glad they asked!)

Under “Domestic Issues,” #16 read: “Is it important for the GOP to support marriage as a sacred union between one man and one woman?” That one I checked Undecided and wrote: “By this do you mean that high-profile Republican politicians should stop visiting prostitutes and seeking ‘soul mates’ outside of marriage?”

#17, which asked if we should “resist the Democrats’ plans for government rationed health care…” I queried: “What are you talking about? Have you not read the proposals?”

I answered a definite No to #19, “Do you believe it is important to remove Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House?” and asked, “How do you plan to do this, throw a government coup???”

I think you get the gist. The survey also asked me to contribute financially “to help expand this Census Project to an additional 10,000,000 Republican voters nationwide.” Unfortunately I’m not able to help financially at this time. 😉

It saddens me to think that this misleading piece-of-caca survey is actually being sent to unsuspecting Americans, and that a real congressman — that’s Mr. John Boehner, folks — would attach his name to a letter that, in part, reads: “Their [Obama admin & Ms. Pelosi] ideas range from bad to disgraceful, and collectively their leadership represents a left-wing lurch towards socialism and ‘Big Brother’ federal control over nearly every facet of American life.”

My next post will deal somewhat with the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy, and to what I see as the impending death of civility, fairness, and a willingness to work together for the common good. I cry for those who would undermine our nation with mean-spirited lies, merely so they can ‘take control’ of the political arena once more. I’d think people would be ashamed to associate their names with such viscious exaggerations and lies.

Time to mail in my survey in the included “no postage necessary” envelope…

From Chie: I wanted to like John McCain. I really did. When you hear him tell his story as a POW and see his tired, broken body, it is very compelling. I watched his acceptance speech at the Republican convention and almost believed him when he talked about wanting to set a new standard for transparency and accountability in government. I almost believed him when he talked about reaching out across the aisle to share ideas – no matter who gets the credit. And at the end of his speech, when he asked us to stand up and fight for decency, faith, justice and goodness – I almost believed him.

I said almost. For despite what I saw at the convention, that John McCain is not the one who is running for President. The John McCain who apologized for not taking a stance against the Confederate flag is not the John McCain running for President. The John McCain who sponsored the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill is not the John McCain running for President. The John McCain who called the Swift Boat ads “dishonest and dishonorable” is not the John McCain who is running for President. Instead, what we have seen over the last 18 months is the John McCain from the Keating 5 scandal. We have seen a John McCain who runs campaign ads that are completely untrue. We see a John McCain who ignores his own first choice and picks an unqualified, polarizing vice presidential running mate in order to pacify his own political party. We see a John McCain who sent a cadre of lawyers to Alaska in order to obstruct an investigation into Sarah Palin – an investigation that was initiated by Republicans.

My fight for transparency and accountability in government begins by voting Democratic in November. Any conservative views that I hold have been completely offset by my distaste of what has happened to the Republican Party and the people they have chosen to lead it.

The Republican Party has been taken over by the so-called “conservative” hypocritical Right. You know who I mean. They hate judicial activism – unless it’s for school prayer. They hate big government – unless it’s for creating an ineffective Department of Homeland Security. They espouse fiscal conservatism – unless it’s for big guns and a war that somehow manages to profit those who started/ran/supplied the war (Halliburton, blind trusts, chummy Saudi princes, etc.) They call themselves “federalists” who believe in a strict interpretation of the Constitution and then either ignore its precepts or ignore our laws. Pre-emptive strikes and torture have become part of our foreign policy. The Geneva Convention is thrown out the window, as are civil liberties, due process and the rule of law.

When asked what makes America great most people will say Freedom. WE THE PEOPLE have the freedom to succeed and the freedom to fail. We have the freedom to worship God as we choose or not worship at all. We have the freedom to speak our mind, even if it’s against our government. These freedoms are what define America and what make it rich and strong. We also have made mistakes along the way – slavery, McCarthyism, internment camps. But we have acknowledged those mistakes and hopefully learned from them.

The Republican Party however, seems to have learned nothing. Over the last 8 years George Bush, Dick Cheney and Karl Rove (our own internal axis of evil) have operated on the basis that civil liberties are an inconvenience that have to be worked around and they have expanded the powers of the executive branch far beyond its original scope. For me, the protection of these rights and the re-establishment of checks and balances in our government are far more important than whether the capital gains tax is 15% or 28%.

I found this quote: “Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger.”

Sounds like any of our current leaders? It was said by Hermann Goering, Nazi Reich Marshall during the Nuremberg Trials.

Now, some of you may feel that John McCain is not George W. Bush and that McCain will bring our government back from the edge. I might have believed it until he picked Sarah Palin as his Vice President. By picking her to pacify the evangelical conservatives in his party, John McCain indicated to America that he put his campaign first, not his country.

Even if you can forget the fact that she believes the earth was created 5-6000 years ago (ignoring the Egyptian and Chinese civilizations that were in existence back then), or if you can ignore her belief that certain books should be banned from our libraries (First Amendment) or a women’s right to chose (Fourteenth Amendment), or if you can ignore her pattern of behavior in abusing her power as an elected official, how can you ignore her current actions regarding the Troopergate investigation? Once promising full cooperation and claiming she had nothing to hide, Sarah Palin and the national Republican Party are stonewalling the investigation (if not permanently, at least until after the election). Her husband has actually refused to respond to a court subpoena. How’s that for transparency and accountability in government?

If John McCain chose her because he really believes she is the best possible candidate to be vice president (and potentially president), then you have to question his judgement. Of course, if you really believe she is the best possible candidate, then I have to question your judgement.

Basically, I like Oprah. I don’t agree with all she says or does; however, if one were to ask, “Does she do more good than harm?” I think the answer would be overwhelmingly YES. Sometimes I’ve seen a particular show of hers just when I needed to see it, and that is very helpful, personally. Sometimes I’ve seen shows that leave me aghast. Well, that’s TV for ya…

However, I feel I must comment on Oprah’s “Big Give” show — which, admittedly I never watched, more than five minutes — but she’s talked about it multiple times on her show and I’ve read about it elsewhere (see “Living Oprah” link below)…

As I understand it, contestants were given a set of rules, a lot of money, and then… they had to be the best “giver” — or at least, not the worst — to remain on the show for another week.

I know that a lot of people benefited from this show. It may have even influenced some people to attempt charitable endeavors that they wouldn’t have otherwise. But… competitive giving? To be judged, weekly, on whether you were “giving” enough — and it’s not even your money to begin with? I mean Oprah (or Harpo) provided the $$. And the winner — and all the contestants, even those who were eliminated — were each given hefty $$gifts from Oprah for their time and service — and the contestants were COMPLETELY SURPRISED.

OH COME ON. I don’t believe it for a minute. And I don’t believe that we — we the American people, the society — need to watch a GAME show to know what we need to do in our lives. I appreciate that Oprah sets such a good example, publicly, when it comes to giving charity; however, the rest of us are morally obligated to be as charitable as we can, and to do unto others, whether or not Oprah sets the example.

Rather than ramble on further at this point — I’m sure to mention Oprah in future posts — let me recommend two highly entertaining Oprah links:

The first is a blog called Living Oprah. The blogger, “LO” (Living Oprah — get it?) is performing an experiment: she has committed herself to following ALL of Oprah’s advice, daily (whether or not the advice is conflicting, or expensive), and then she posts about it. LO’s blog is extremely intelligent, and the commentary she receives on her posts is also well-worth reading — it’s thoughtful, funny, and challenging. Once you check out this blog, you won’t be able to stop reading it!

The second link is something I found while reading “Living Oprah”: It’s a satirical article, “Oprah Launches Own Reality,” in the satirical newspaper The Onion. A relatively short article, it’s extremely clever: “Developed over the past three years by the theoretical physics wing of her company, Harpo Productions, >OpraH was reportedly created by tearing a small hole in the fabric of known reality.” If you like witty satire, this is a MUST-read! — And if my name was Oprah and I said “you must read this,” chances are you’d read it! 😉

In Bonfire, Sherman McCoy is a Wall Street bond trader who fancies himself as a “master of the universe,” has tons of money, a lovely family, and of course, a younger mistress. Sherman is a likeable guy with a way-inflated ego. At first his offense is “merely” immoral (adultery) but soon becomes illegal, when his paramour (the inimitable Maria Ruskin) accidentally hits — and seriously injures — a young black man as she and Sherman try to escape a bad scenario in Harlem.

It’s a hit-and-run. Sherman wants to go to the police; Maria refuses, saying “They’d love to get their hands on you and me” (p. 97) — meaning the police, the press, the ravenous hounds who love to tear down the high and mighty in meaty scandals.

Of course, the more Sherman tries to hide the truth, the more it comes out. Not only is there juicy social scandal; there is the racial aspect (wealthy white socialites hit poor black youth and leave the scene), which feeds the racial and political tension of the times.

Sherman’s world soon explodes. Right before he’s arrested and the press zoom in like vultures, he has to tell his wife, who already had her suspicions that Sherman was having an affair: “Her cheeks were streaked with tears. ‘I’m going to try to help you… in any way I can. But I can’t give you my love, and I can’t give you tenderness. I’m not that good an actress. I wish I were, because you’re going to need love and tenderness, Sherman.’

“Sherman said, ‘Can’t you forgive me?’

” ‘I suppose I could’ she said. ‘But what would that change?’

“He had no answer.” (p. 454)

OK, enough: if you haven’t already, read the book!!! It’s a fascinating study of bureaucracy, hypocrisy, politics, and press, and amazingly was written over 20 years ago and is just as true today.

In the Spitzer scandal, we have the immorality of him cheating on his wife; the illegality of the prostitution and how much $$$$ was involved; the hypocrisy of him prosecuting the very crime he has committed; the social, public, and political scandal… No doubt when he told his wife what was about to go down it must have been very similar to the scene in Bonfire.

Unlike the book, Spitzer’s wife manages to stand by his side. Why did she do that? On the one hand, very noble of her; on the other, very cowardly of him to let her.

Both Bonfire and real-life show how the public simply can’t get enough of a good scandal. In Bonfire, why does the press zoom in not only on Sherman but his 5-year-old daughter, his neighbors, his family? Why, in real life, is the press outing “Kristin, the high-priced prostitute“? We now know her real name, and have access to her MySpace page (well, not anymore — looks like it was (finally) removed).

Is it necessary to ravage everyone involved? It’s a very hungry world we live in, I guess… and that’s it for now…

Authors continue to fabricate their “autobiographies” when, most likely, it’s just a matter of time until they are caught…

Mighty politicians continue to huff and puff against crime — and sexual orientation — while committing the same acts that they decry.

I can’t speak for the lemmings, but I would like to try to tie together some of the recent liar/hypocrite phenomena, and offer my own (likely over-simplistic) explanation…

In the Chicago Tribune, March 10, excellent writer Julia Keller wrote a thought-provoking column: “Why they lie: Is it desperation? Panic? Hubris? Recklessness? Stupidity? Literary larceny is now an easy act to follow” (you may need to log in to the Trib to read this).

Ms. Keller writes of the recent slew of authors who have either fabricated their stories and or/plagiarized others’ words — in a time where anyone, anywhere, can pretty much verify anything on the Internet. She quotes Nancy Nall: “‘How in the world did [a particular author] think she’d get away with this?'” To me, that’s at least as interesting as WHY anyone would try.

Same goes for the politicians. The “whys” are often boring, or at least predictable: Pressure. Feelings of inadequacy. Needing excitement or variety. Feeling all-powerful and deserving. Blah, blah, blah.

But how did they think they would get away with it? James Frey, Misha Defonesca, Margaret B. Jones, Tim Goeglein (see Ms. Keller’s article): well, they did get away with it — at least for a while. But, for example, the author of “Love and Consequences,” Margaret B. Jones, was turned in by her own sister. From the Los Angeles Times:

“”Jones” is actually Margaret Seltzer. Instead of being a half-white, half-Native American who grew up in a foster home and once sold drugs for the Bloods street gang, she is a white woman who was raised with her biological family in Sherman Oaks and graduated from Campbell Hall, an exclusive private school in the San Fernando Valley.”

I’m sorry, but did she not think her family would read her book? Did she not think people would recognize her? Why didn’t she simply call her work a novel instead of a memoir? Perhaps this smacks of immense hubris; perhaps it’s as simple as stupidity (more on that in a minute).

Now let’s switch to Political Scandal du Jour, “Client #9,” Eliot Spitzer. who just resigned as NY Governor.

When I first heard that Spitzer was involved with a “prostitution ring” — as so many headlines put it — I thought they meant he was, like, a pimp or something. Then I understood that he had sex with a prostitute. OK, bad, but not any of my business, I thought (at first)…

Then I read how he was always so tough on crime, and how he had been doing this for years, and that he may have spent over $40,000 on prostitutes in…. a year or so? And I thought: Resign, you fool!

There he was with his beautiful wife at his side, apologizing and resigning. I thought: did he really think he wouldn’t be caught? If you’re a public figure — especially with a healthy share of enemies — especially when you are known for being HARD ON CRIME — then you shouldn’t commit public crimes!

If you’re a religious zealot politician, then maybe you shouldn’t proposition male pages! If you’re a man of the cloth, sworn to uphold G-d’s word, maybe you shouldn’t rape your under-age flock! If you’re a public figure known for your anti-gay stance, maybe you shouldn’t be seeking same-sex sex in public restrooms!

Isn’t this part of Common Sense 101? Don’t they still require public figures to take this course? Actually, aren’t people supposed to learn this before they become public figures?

So, my over-simplified theory, or at least question: Have we as a species actually de-evolved to such a point where we are just plain stupid? Could that be why so many public figures do so many hypocritical, illegal, immoral things without seemingly worrying about getting caught? I.e., it’s not that they think they are above the law… it’s just that they haven’t taken the time to think things through.